In our family we call our inner circle, our little bubble. Our inner circle consists of people, family members and friends that walk a close journey with us. What does your bubble look like, does it consist only of you, or you and your husband, or perhaps it consists of everyone under the sun. I think any one of these are not ideal, perhaps only for a season. We are not meant to walk through life alone, but creating a circle too big can also leave us feeling exhausted and soon our bubble will be ready to burst.
We need family and we need friends and the support and love that they bring. Is your bubble filled with loved ones or is it empty? Is it filled with the right kind of people? Those people that are going to encourage you and lift you up and when you fall, they will be honest enough to tell you the truth, even if it hurts. Being truthful from a place of love can be life changing and bring about true change in one’s life.
We don’t need to tell everyone everything, but we should share our journey with those that are close to us. It is often when we share our everyday lives and walk a journey with others, we realise that they are often walking the same journey, or either have been there or will be there soon. It is also an opportunity to encourage someone or be encouraged by someone. Surround yourself with friends and family that can journey with you through life.
How are you doing as a friend, as a wife, or as a mommy today? Are you showing love and kindness and support to your inner circle or are they getting what’s left of you at the end of the day, which is often only exhaustion and irritation. We will always fall short, no matter how hard we try; we will never be 100% perfect and enough for everyone in our inner circle. I hope that encourages you to be gracious towards yourself and although we strive for excellence in our marriages, as a parent, as a colleague and as a friend, we must realise that we will fall short at times and so will others. When we do fall short, we need to give ourselves a lot grace, lift ourselves up and keep going. When others fall short around us, we need to give them grace too, show them kindness and ultimately keep on loving them.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13
Over the recent Easter weekend, thinking of what Jesus did over 2000 years ago, has compelled me to love others, as much as Christ loves me. Love is the key to success and a happy life. If you need to confront someone, confront them with love and humility, if you need to buy groceries, treat the cashier with love and respect, you never know how just one smile, or even just a simple thank you can change a person.
To the wife who may feel unseen and unheard, love your husband, continue to support him. Love conquerors all things.
To the mommy who feels like the worst mom in the world, be kind to yourself. It is not about ticking everything off your list, but sometimes just loving your kids.
It all starts from home, from our inner bubble. If we can love well in our inner circle then we are able to love well beyond our bubble too. Love is a choice we choose daily or even hourly, love is not something only to be said but it requires action. If you choose to show love and walk with compassion over and over again it will soon become a natural part of your everyday life. By no means does loving people mean that you are a push over or say yes to everything. It just means that when you say no, when you disagree with someone you do it calmly and with a lot of grace.
I leave you with these two verses:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
John 13:34
“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
1 Corinthians 13:2
Father God, thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. I am humbled and grateful. Help me to learn to love the way you love me. Help me to love those in my inner circle and beyond. Make me aware of the way I act and speak and thank you for your grace when I fall short of loving others the way I should. In Jesus name, Amen.
